Book Reviews

Divine/Partholon Series - Spoiler Alert

Divine by Mistake/Partholon Series #1

OK, I finally have a minute. So I'm gonna talk about Divine by Mistake written by P.C. Cast. Amazing set of books tho I strongly recommended that they are not for children. Now then, in the first book, Divine by Mistake we meet Shannon Parker, a 30something, high school English teacher from Oklahoma. She is very witty and quick on her feet. And it's a good thing thing too because she is about to have her entire world literally ripped from her. Through an estate auction Shannon is magically transported to a world where her exact double is an evil high priestess and she's to wed a shape shifting centaur. The story takes you through ups and downs as Shannon has to restart her life and must win the love & affection that her double was awarded in title only. She quickly falls in love with the perks of being "rich & famous" like all the jewelry and the fabulous tho primitive bathroom. Then just as she starts to get used to her new technology free life, she is waist high in war. Her double's father, who looks just like her own father, is killed right in front of her...sorta. The god in this world is a goddess and Shannon gets visions of the future from her. In one said vision she see this death. As the visions continue, Shannon is given the chance to end the war and free the people she has come to love. She also falls madly in love with her husband and just as she thinks everything is quieting down and becoming peaceful she gets a "feeling".




Divine by Choice/Partholon Series #2
OK so book 2 is all about choices. In Divine by Mistake we find Shannon Parker rudely transported to another world where exact doubles from her own world live. The only person in Partholon that knows Shannon isn't the rude, selfish Lady Rhiannon is Rhiannon's right hand Alanna. Alanna knows everything because she has been there, by Rhiannon's side forever. And though she didn't like Rhiannon, she quickly comes to love Shannon. Oh and by the way, she happens to be the double of Shannon's best friend from Oklahoma. During Divine by Choice, poor Shannon gets ripped from Partholon just as she's starting to get used to everything. She loves her people, she loves her hand maidens, and she is madly in love with her husband. Now we find her back in Oklahoma. ClanFinton (her husband) also has a double in Oklahoma. Shannon had never met him before but Rhiannon quickly found him. Of course she's evil as hell and poor Clint wants desperately to send her back to her world and return Shannon to Oklahoma. In trying to do that he screws up and pulls Shannon back along with the evil Nauda she thought she had killed in Partholon. In Divine by Choice Shannon sees the destruction Rhiannon has made of her life and also tragically witnesses the death of someone she loves.


Divine by Blood ~ Partholon Series #3
So book 3 Partholon series is Divine by Blood. This time the story picks up with the children of Shannon & Rhiannon. Both daughters. Actually most of book 3 is about Rhiannon's daughter. Rhiannon died right after Morrigan was born. Some Indians were there and took Morrigan to Shannon's father as Rhiannon requested. He & his wife raised her just as they did Shannon. As far as they were concerned she was Shannon's daughter and told her so.

Then evil comes knocking. Morrigan learns the truth about her parents and the world of Partholon. Guess what. She decides to go there. While there she learns that Shannon had also had a daughter. One that looked just like her. However Shannon's daughter wasn't to be the next high priestess. This knowledge of course ignites that age old battle between evil & good. The one we all war against within ourselves. Morrigan must decide if she will follow the path evil wants for her, or Epona's path.

Now this is where I get annoyed with the books. LOL I simply didn't want the story to end! And in a sense it doesn't. But when P.C. Cast writes about Partholon next it takes place 100 years later. They're great reads too and I will talk about them tomorrow & Saturday.

 

Elphame's Choice ~ Partholon Series #4
OK so like I said yesterday, the next 2 books in the Partholon series take place a 100 years after Shannon & Rhiannon's stories. Although it's years later, the books remind of you what happened in Partholon. They remind you of Shannon's story and her life as Rhiannon.

Now we find Etain, Shannon's granddaughter giving birth to a unique creature. Remember all of the high priestesses in Partholon are wed to shape-shifting centaurs. Though they change into humans there real form is centaur. Well Etain gives birth to the first 1/2 human 1/2 centaur in Partholon. Her name is Elphame. Naturally everyone looks at her like an alien being with the exception of her parents & brothers. Her parents go on to have 3 boys one of which Elphame is very close to. His name is Cuchulainn.

Once they reach adulthood, Elphame feels the call to bring life back into the MacCallan castle. MacCallan is Rhiannon's dad and in a sense Elphame's great-great grandfather. Her brother Cu goes with her as do a few others who never really found their place in Partholon. Elphame falls in love with a mysterious winged creature and the Fomorians are once again front & center. Elphame has to convince the people of Partholon that these New Fomorians are not like their deadly ancestors and that they are simply looking for a new home and love.

Brighid's Quest ~ Partholon Series #5

 OK so let me finish my book reviews. Book 5 in the Partholon series is Brighid's Quest. Brighid is a female centaur. She left the Centaur Plains and joined Elphame in her desire to bring life back into MacCallan Castle. In doing so she found herself in love with Elphame's brother Cuchulainn.
It was an odd and strange love because Brighid didn't believe it was meant to be.


The two of them had a long journey ahead of them as they helped the New Formorians gain entrance into the MacCallan Castle and in that journey was when they would fall in love. Brighid had to deal with the personal family issues that she was running away from in the first place as she was to be a high shaman. Her quest takes you through the struggles of right and wrong and how sometimes family isn't always right.
Often what appears to be wrong because history has said so is actually what's right.

I loved the books! I couldn't put them down and I admit I'm annoyed that they are over. P.C. Cast is a phenomenal writer and she totally sucks you into the worlds she creates in her books. There was so much humor and sadness that I often found myself laughing and tearing up as I read. Again these books are not for children! And personally I don't think teens should read them either but that's your call.

 Special thanks goes out to Felicity Denham with Mira books over in the UK. Without her I wouldn't have been able to do these reviews. My books are UK versions. Which I personally think are way prettier than the US versions. You can visit their website at www.mirabooks.co.uk